Many commercially available waxes are applied in a liquid state and are then buffed to a high gloss after the liquid wax has dried-and formed a hazy deposit.
In order to buff the wax, it is desirable to use a soft fabric which is nonabrasive to the surace being buffed. In the past, it has been common to use discarded clothing or other rags consisting of woven cotton or cotton polyester blends.
In many instances, buffing rags are inadequate because the hazy deposit on the surface of the object has a tendancy to build up on the surface of the woven cloth or rag. When this build up occurs, continued buffing will not achieve a desirable shine and may in many instances become abrasive and damage the surface.
To prevent build up, the cloth material must be constantly shifted and turned. Also, in order to generate a cushion to absorb the pressure exerted in the buffing process, one ordinarily has to gather the cloth in one hand. This has a tendancy to create folds or wrinkles which reduce the effectiveness of the buffing material.
As an alternative buffing material, a material commonly and generically referred to as "polishing cloth" is readily available in the market. The cloth consists of a knitted fabric, and therefore, presents a softer buffing material. Furthermore, the knitted cloth has relatively large spaces between the interlooped strands of fabric, and therefore, presents a surface which is not as suseptible to build up as the woven fabric.
The commercially available "polishing cloth" is generally sold in large rolls. An amount necessary for polishing a particular object is removed from the roll in usually large rectangular sheets. The material is easily wasted and suffers from the same drawback as ordinary rags or woven material in that in order to create a cushion against the pressure exerted from buffing, the material must be gathered up in one hand. As previously mentioned, this creates unwanted wrinkles and folds that diminish the buffing capacity of the material.